Billy Boyd and the Ballad of the Five Hundred Tears

I was already prepared to release all the H2O from my body through my tear ducts upon watching Battle of the Five Armiesbefore this song was released. You know, because this is the end of an era so-to-speak, in that this is very likely the last film set in Middle-Earth for a very long time. (Peter Jackson’s films are so well done, in my opinion at least, that it’s very unlikely anyone will attempt to remake the Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit films in my lifetime.) For this reason alone, I knew that the tears would flow during this film, but add a song by Billy Boyd to the mix and, well, I can basically guarantee a River Anduin recreated at my local movie theatre at midnight on December 17th, 2014.

What’s this all about? Well, the last “Credits Song” (as in, it will be played during the credits, akin to Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire”) was released for the public’s listening pleasure today. It is called “The Last Goodbye” and it is co-written by Billy Boyd with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Just the title made my eyes glisten when I first saw it. Billy Boyd is not new to singing and songwriting. Those who have seen Return of the King will remember that he sang (and also co-wrote) “The Edge of Night” to Lord Denethor after he sent his son Faramir to almost certain death.

If you plan on listening to the song below, grab a few [boxes of] tissues first, because you’ll need them within the first 30 seconds.

How dare you, Billy Boyd… How dare you make “I bid you all a very fond farewell” the last line of the song? You might remember that Bilbo says this during Fellowship of the Ring, bringing this Middle-Earth Journey full-circle. (Shameless plug: I have an album of piano music called A Middle-Earth Journey.) This song really does bring us full circle, though. This movie brings us back to Fellowship of the Ring.

In fact, I plan on watching the first two Hobbit movies the two days before I see Battle of the Five Armies, then watch all three extended edition Lord of the Rings movies the weekend after December 17th. Who’s doing the same? (Share in the comments!)

There are a few chords in this song that are reminiscent of “Into the West”, which, obviously, also makes me feel feelings.

What do you think of the song? Is it a fitting end to this Middle-Earth Journey? Please comment below!